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by colour me impressed
Summary: The answer should have been simple: I do. Sequel to "Too Long".


**April 2012

* * *

**

The morning after Clark's departure, Lois woke up beside Richard feeling no different. She felt just as she did before she knew Clark was leaving. There was no heart-twisting pain, there were no tears gathering at her eyes and there weren't any sobs being wrenched from her throat. It didn't feel like her best friend had abandoned her – temporarily or not – at all. She just felt.. normal.

The feeling of normalness didn't go away for the entire day, and she performed her daily routine without fail. She looked at the unoccupied desk in front of her more times than usual, but that was it; the only deviation (aside from the glaringly obvious one of no Clark interaction at all) in her otherwise normal Thursday.

Lois discarded the idea that this wasn't normal behaviour. Although it wasn't permanent (or so she was told), she was essentially left behind by the person who was incredibly important in her life. She should be grief-stricken; at the very least, she should be sad! But, she wasn't. Having never been a fan of the train wreck of emotions, Lois decided to count this as a blessing and continued on with her life. Besides, she even felt a little empowered that she hadn't been crushed by grief.

It was at the end of the month when Lois' emotionally stable train derailed. She started to feel a little nauseated by the fact that Clark's desk was unfailingly empty every time she came to work.

The feeling of nausea escalated when the blinders of denial came off and Lois finally _realised_. She realised that Clark was suffering from _wanderlust _– not the sniffles. She realised that he was wandering the earth in search of exotic areas, foods, whatever – not wandering his kitchen for a cup of honey tea and lozenges. She realised he wouldn't be coming back any time soon. While Lois actually knew that Clark was journeying around the globe, it only sunk completely into her mind on the last day of April.

Lois also knew it took years to travel the world; decades, if someone decided that thorough sightseeing was the best way to travel. And, knowing Clark, Lois knew that he would most likely take his sweet time and smell the roses as he went on his merry way. Then, a disturbingly frightening thought came to the forefront of her mind, bold and impossible to ignore like a neon sign.

_She wouldn't see Clark in decades._

And suddenly, there was heart-twisting pain, there were tears gathering at her eyes and there were many sobs being wrenched from her throat. She felt like someone had _stomped on her heart and broke it into little pieces_.

And the worst part? Her Smallville wasn't around to comfort her this time.

**

* * *

May 2012

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**

Lois didn't like to dwell on unpleasant emotions. She'd learned at an early age that keeping herself busy was the best way to dodge feelings of sadness – and that was just what she did.

Lois began working at every opportunity that presented itself. She tackled articles that, two months ago, she wouldn't have spit in the general direction of and she'd started bringing Perry at least one Styrofoam cup of coffee every day. Lois made a cup for him every time there was even a second of downtime for her; when she focussed entirely on the fact that the Chief liked two sugars and three creams in his coffee, Lois could momentarily forget that there was an empty seat where a raven-haired Kent was supposed to be and a curiously empty feeling where her heart beat.

Lois was especially confused about that.

She was engaged to a very kind, very handsome man. If anything, her heart should be feeling perfectly fine. It would be understandable if it felt like it was swelling to a near explosive state whenever Richard was near her, but it didn't do that.

Instead, every time she walked by Clark's desk, or smelled the food from the coffee and pastry shop they had spent many of their breaks together, or caught sight of the one or two (or five) plaid shirts she'd stolen from him over the years ("it's for the greater good of Clark's fashion sense," she'd told herself as she snatched them), her heart stopped a beat; immediately after, it felt like it was shrivelling up into a state that was near implosive.

It was confusing.

**

* * *

June 2012

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**

Metropolis was suffering from a horrible heat wave it hadn't experienced since the '90s. Lois was concerned about going outside for longer than five minutes without running the risk of suffering from heat stroke. She was also concerned when she fleetingly thought about how much she missed seeing Clark loosen his tie and unbutton the top two buttons of his dress shirt whenever it became too hot for him to handle. But what concerned Lois the most was when she felt like dismantling the heads of two of her co-workers, one male and one female, who thought the exact same thing.

**

* * *

July 2012

* * *

**

"So, have you heard from him?" Lois asked, as she flipped idly through the magazine she'd found in her cousin's living room. Lois had decided to crash at Chloe's place while Lucy dealt with the catering for the wedding. For _her_ wedding. With Richard.

Lois couldn't understand why it had suddenly become so hard to wrap her mind around the fact that she was marrying Richard, nor did she know when it happened. Nevertheless, Lois planned to give a big thank you to Lucy; a thank you that involved her wallet and the nearest mall of Lucy's choice.

"He hasn't contacted me since the time he called me to say he was leaving," Chloe said, and Lois tried not to let her disappointment show.

"Oh."

Chloe looked up from her Blackberry to fix Lois with a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Lois. I'm sure he's not dead."

Lois frowned, her mind fabricating an image of a bloody Clark lying face down in a dank alley in god-knows-where. "That's not funny, Chlo."

"Lois, don't worry. Clark said he'll be back, and we both know that Clark Kent always keeps his word." Chloe returned her focus to her palm pilot.

The reporter nodded as she bit her lip. She couldn't argue there. But, she couldn't help but wonder, "What's taking him so long?"

Watchtower rolled her eyes and returned her green gaze to her older cousin once more. "It doesn't exactly take a couple weeks to travel the world and _enjoy_ it, Lo."

"I know!" she retaliated. "It's just..," Lois trailed off, chewing her bottom lip in an almost worried fashion. Chloe saw the action and prodded her for her to continue.

"It's just..?"

"It's just.. what if he decides he likes it _out there_ more than he likes it here?"

The blonde smiled knowingly (causing Lois to feel defensive for a reason she wasn't aware of) and placed her phone on the couch cushion in front of her. "Lois, Clark will be back."

"How do you know?"

"Because there's someone here that he couldn't live too long without."

Lois hadn't known it was possible to want to murder a woman she hadn't known existed 'til now.

**

* * *

August 2012

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**

"Do you, Lois Joanne Lane, take Richard James White as your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, to have and to hold; and do you promise, forsaking all others, to cleave to him and him alone, for as long as you both shall live?"

The answer should have been simple: I do. But it wasn't.

As Lois looked through her veil, at the blue eyes of the man she was soon going to be married to, she found herself thinking that they weren't the exact, vivid shade of blue she wanted to see. As she briefly glanced at the hair that was perfectly combed, Lois found herself thinking that it wasn't the windswept style she wanted to see.

"Lois?" Richard said, and the woman in question found herself thinking that it wasn't the deeper, smoother, makes-your-toes-curl-and-your-heart-beat-faster voice that she longed to hear.

She wanted Clark to be her groom. She wanted Clark to be standing in front of her, eagerly waiting to kiss her as her husband for the first time. It was Clark whom she wanted; Clark whom she loved.

_Holy crap, she loved Clark Kent._

It was the worst possible time to have a revelation, but Lois was glad she had had one regardless. Better late than never, after all.

Lois took a step back, the white dress (the one she'd picked with Clark) shuffling quietly. "Richard, I'm so sorry." She shook her head firmly. "I can't."

For some odd reason, he smiled. Richard _smiled_, even though he had just been turned down at the altar. The bride-no-more wondered vaguely if Richard had liquid-lunched to escape cold feet.

"Better late than never, I guess," he said, as if he had read her thoughts, the knowing curl of his lips holding a hint of a sad undertone.

"I really am sorry, Richard."

"It's all right, Lois. This is why I told the priest to ask you first. So, if you failed to have your epiphany or if you'd dared say 'I do' out of duty, _I_ was going to turn _you _down and force you to accept the simple truth: Lois Lane loves Clark Kent."

Tears welled in her eyes, feeling horrible for telling him 'I don't' when he'd never deserved to have such a thing happen to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"But, wait. How did you know?"

Richard's brow rose disbelievingly, as if he couldn't believe she just asked him that question. "A blind man could see through your bury-your-heartache-in-your-work strategy, Lois. That, and many nights in a row I woke up to hear you gasp, 'Smallville, faster,' in your sleep were good enough clues for me."

Pink dusted her cheeks; the shade only became darker when, with her peripherals, she saw the _priest_ raise his brow at her. Lois always knew she talked (even yelled!) in her sleep, but that was just ridiculous.

"Don't worry about thinking of ways to make it up for me," Richard told her. "I'll get back to you on that."

Lois looked at him strangely. "'Ways'?" she parroted, ignoring the wedding guests who were beginning to murmur about the odd hold-up in the ceremony.

"Yes, ways," he confirmed. "And I think you'll agree, or a certain video – which I have given Chloe and her wonderful encryptions a copy of – will be 'accidentally' leaked to a certain Kent when he comes back."

Lois' eyes widened. If Clark ever got a hold on that file, she would never live it down. Nor would she be able to poke fun at Clark's 'lack' in sex appeal ever again.

"I do agree," she said sourly, though she was a bit amazed at how underhanded her ex-fiancé could be.

Richard smiled at her. "I knew you'd see it my way. Now, go home. I'll make sure the crowd doesn't chase after you with torches and pitchforks."

She sent Richard a grin before she left the church, allowing him to deal with the confused crowd.

**

* * *

September 2012

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**

Without their strongman, as Lois and Richard briefly called Clark, the process of Richard's moving out had taken a little longer than usual. However, they did manage to get all his stuff transferred to his new apartment by the end of the day.

But, by the end of that day, the apartment (solely hers once more) was uncomfortably silent. She missed Richard's companionship, though she didn't wish for him to move back in with her. Lois did wish that she had the option of inviting Clark to live with her instead.

**

* * *

March 2013

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**

An entire year had passed since Lois last saw Clark in person. It had also been an entire passing of a year since she had last heard from him. Clark hadn't bothered to call, or email, or even write the whole time he'd been gone, and Lois can't decide whether she should be dismayed or furious; or maybe even both.

But instead of dismay or fury, Lois became hopeful instead when her telephone rang shrilly on the evening a year after his abrupt departure. When she answered, it wasn't Clark, but a telemarketer, who attempted to sell her a metal detector.

Lois vowed to despise all telemarketers until Clark returned.

(And maybe even after, if they tried selling her a damned metal detector again.)

**

* * *

November 2013

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**

Perry assigned her a new partner a week into the month. He listened to, but ultimately disregarded Lois' protests that concerned Clark's possible return, and the editor blatantly ignored Lois' sharing of Clark's dislike of having his seat warmed by a backside other than his own.

Without the editor-in-chief seeing it her way, Lois obviously took it upon herself to protect Clark's place in the newsroom by making the man's (she didn't think of him as her partner – she already _had_ a partner) work life a living hell. At the end of the week, what's-his-face quit.

Perry tried assigning her a partner five other times, but Lois made each and every one resign by being the nastiest person she could possibly be. (Sometimes, she'd ask herself, "What would Lex Luthor do?") She coerced Jimmy and Richard into mildly antagonising her fourth victim and appealed to Oliver to fire the fifth moron Perry had hired – she'd gotten lazy with him.

Perry eventually gave up, reserving the desk across from Lois Lane's as Clark Kent's, and Clark Kent's only.

**

* * *

January 2014

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**

With still no sign of Clark within Metropolis and Smallville, Lois rented and watched three of the most action-packed, blood-filled films she could find in one night. During that same night, she ate an entire tub of ice cream and three-and-a-half bars of chocolate. When she went to bed, she felt as if she'd gained twenty pounds, and some of the gory scenes from the movies were imprinted (permanently, perhaps) on the back of her eyelids.

The only thing that came close to being a small comfort was that she hadn't dreamt of Clark that night. Dreaming of Clark usually ended with her waking up with tears in her eyes and feeling nostalgically unhappy, or hot and sweaty.

Either way, it was pretty horrible.

**

* * *

February 2014

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**

Jeff the intern (though he wasn't an intern any more, Lois liked to think of him as one) asked her out on a date on Valentine's Day. She declined his offer twice. The first had been done politely. The second refusal had been much less courteous, though he had asked for it.

"When Lois Lane made up her mind, not even the threat to take away her coffee would change her mind," Clark had jokingly said once, though his words were the truth.

She fell into her seat with a sigh and stared a little wistfully at the empty seat across from her, wishing her partner was around.

By now, he would be done hiding his snickers at Jeff's annual failure to nab a date with her, offering that they leave for Smallville now. She would agree, and they'd spend the rest of the day boycotting Singles' Awareness Day in the safety of the Kent farmhouse's living room.

In hindsight, Lois realised that she should have been dating him instead.

**

* * *

June 2015

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**

Lois groaned in frustration when someone knocked on her door. This was the third interruption she had had on what was supposed to be a relatively peaceful day.

The first had been when a bunch of teenage boys had prank called her – with the "is your refrigerator running?" gag, no less. The only good thing that came out of that was that she had been able to take out her frustration on them. (She was almost certain she'd made one or two of them cry.)

The second interruption had been much less gratifying and much more time-consuming. A pizza delivery boy (the typical, zit-faced teenager sort) had wasted an hour of her time standing outside of her home, insisting that she had ordered a pizza she _knew_ she hadn't ordered. She'd slammed the door in his face three times, told him things that would have made a soldier cry and even threatened to kick his ass to Jupiter and back, but he still stood outside her door, holding a pizza box that contained a pizza that wasn't hers. It was only when she told him she'd call the cops that the boy left the apartment building. What frustrated her the most about that situation was that she hadn't thought of saying that earlier.

And so, as Lois heaved herself grumpily off the couch and away from her TV, she swore that if there was another teenage male on the other end, she would risk being thrown into jail for aggravated assault or attempted murder.

Lois pulled the door open sharply, a glare settling on her features. Her mouth had been forming a harsh, "What?" but the sound died in her throat, and Lois gaped.

He was just standing there with one hand stuffed in his simple jeans, the other brushing a piece of lint (or was it thread?) from his granite-coloured shirt, which stretched deliciously across his torso. When she had opened the door, he removed his hand from his pocket and his dazzlingly blue eyes lifted to meet hers. And then, a charming smile with the brightness that rivalled the sun spread his lips. (If Lois had been the swooning type, she'd be lying on the floor by now.)

He was just standing there like he hadn't been gone for three years.

She was just forgetting her heart had felt empty for three years.

"Clark," she exhaled his name, almost inaudibly.

"Happy birthday, Lois."

Lois ignored the birthday greeting. Before she even realised what she was doing, she tugged Clark into her apartment, kicked the door shut and jumped on him, her legs crossing around his waist. She was slanting her lips over his when her mind finally registered that she'd jumped on Clark.

In the back of her mind – a tiny, tiny part of her brain where logic still reigned – Lois knew that she should really untangle her body from his. And she should stop kissing him, too, before he decided to sue her for sexual harassment, or place a restraining order on her.

The rest of her mind – the majority that was ruled solely by emotion and feeling – and her heart, however, encouraged Lois to keep her mouth moving smoothly over his. He was warm, he tasted perfect and she felt so safe in his arms (which had automatically shot up to steady her, since her safety was always on his mind). She didn't want to leave.

And she didn't have to. Clark's grip on her tightened, keeping her from escaping; it was an unnecessary action on his part, though, because Lois was completely incapable of leaving his embrace. And then, he was kissing her back just as ardently. Lois was thrilled with the passionate response, humming a contented note at the back of her throat.

Eventually, the need for air arose, and Lois reluctantly removed her lips from his, closing her eyes and not doing much else aside from panting heavily. Clark, on the other hand, took the opportunity to trail his lips along her neck. He licked, nipped and sucked at her skin with varying degrees of pressure at a particularly sensitive spot and, as a result, he tore all kinds of sounds from Lois: gasps, groans, moans and..

.. oh, god, she just whimpered. Well, as long as she didn't start begging, her dignity would remain intact – ready to fall at the seams, but still intact.

Suddenly, Clark froze, his body rigid and muscles tensed.

"No, Clark, don't stop. _Please_," she pleaded huskily.

And there went her dignity. But, Lois decided she couldn't care any less about the loss of her self-respect. She just wanted Clark, and Clark's lips on her skin. At that very second, preferably.

Lois' hand snaked up and nudged the back of his head, urging him to continue his ministrations, but Clark remained steadfast in his decision to stop. "I have to. We shouldn't.. I-I can't do this."

Lois' eyes snapped open. "What?" She tried to keep the panic from her voice. There was no need to notify Clark that she was afraid that he didn't find her that attractive. Or that maybe he'd found another woman on his travels.

Oh, no, what if he found _Lana_?

Whenever Clark Kent and Lana Lang occupied the same room, Clark usually reverted to his "gaga-over-Lana" state. Lois prayed that Lana hadn't come back into Clark's life. It was a selfish prayer, but Lois didn't want to lose Clark a second time, especially to a human of the female variety. At least when he had been travelling, there was no risk that Lois would lose him completely – he would still come back to Metropolis, to the Daily Planet, to _her_.

But, if Clark had fallen in love with a woman (a woman who was not her), then he would be lost to her forever. Their whole dynamic would change! Their friendship would be strained – awkward. And not just because they'd kissed or because the other woman would hold most of Clark's attention. It would be because Lois would have to _deal_ with all that: kissing Clark once and never being able to do it again, watching him unleash his affections unto another girl.. Lois wouldn't be able to handle that.

What had Martha told her a few months ago, when she was regaling Lois with tales of her and Jonathan? Oh, right.

'Kiss a Kent, it's a happy event; if never again, you'll swear off men.'

While it had sounded a bit extreme back then, Lois understood now. Clark was a phenomenal kisser, and Lois was one hundred percent sure that _no one_ would be able to top him.

"Why not?"

Clark looked pained as he pulled his head back. "Richard," he said, as if the name explained it all.

"Richard?" Lois asked, puzzled. "Why're you thinking of _Richard_ while you're kissing _me_? Please, don't tell me you came back gay."

"Wh-what?! No!" Red shaded his cheeks. It was adorable; _he_ was adorable. "Richard's your husband! This.. I count this as.. as _adultery_, Lois."

Lois couldn't help it. She laughed out loud, her shoulders shaking from the force of her laughter. "Smallville, don't worry about it," she said in between her mirthful laughs, her words trembling.

Clark, out of the loop, looked at her as if she had just procured a shotgun and shot Shelby in the head. "Lois, as much as I'd like to ravish you now, I am _not_ going to cause the destruction of your marriage!"

The reporter smiled slyly, focussing entirely on the first half of Clark's statement and ignoring the latter part completely. "Ravish me, huh?" She clutched the fabric at the Clark's chest, pulling him closer to her. However, Clark was irritatingly stubborn and refused to move closer to her.

"Lois, _stop_."

Lois didn't. Improvising, she leaned towards him, her cheek resting on his. She whispered into his ear, as if telling him a secret, "Clark, I'm not married, engaged or even dating."

Clark made a sound of confusion. "What?"

"Mhmm. I am a completely single woman, and I suggest you take advantage of that fact. Or, you know," she said seductively, "you could just take advantage of me."

Clark was crushing their lips together in the next second, converting the laughter bubbling up her throat into a pleasured moan. He walked them into Lois' bedroom and removed his lips from her person to lay her gently onto the bed.

"I hope you aren't this gentle the whole night," Lois complained teasingly once Clark was hovering over her.

He grinned wickedly, his normally angelic eyes holding a devilish glint. His voice was throaty when he replied. "Don't worry, Lois. I like it rough."

Lois shivered in arousal. "Well, then," she started, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her fingers in the dark mop that was his hair. "Carry on."

Clark did just that, once more paying special attention to that sensitive spot at her neck. Lois sighed contentedly, tilting her head to the side to give him better access. He began trailing kisses to her mouth and, recognising his intent, Lois spoke up.

"Welcome back, Smallville."

He smiled and replied before claiming her lips.

"It's good to be back."


End file.
